City Council - Regular Meeting

GOOD EVENING. I NOW CALL TO ORDER THIS JUNE 23rd MEETING OF LANCASTER CITY COUNCIL. A FEW REMINDERS BEFORE WE BEGIN THIS MEETING AND AS PARTICIPANTS ARE BEING LIVE STREAMED AND RECORDED. PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONES AND DEVICES IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY. TONIGHT IS A REGULAR MEETING OF COUNCIL. THERE IS A GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON OUR AGENDA. FIRST WE WILL HEAR FROM SPEAKERS WHO HAVE PRE-REGISTERED WITH THE CITY CLERK, AND THEN WE WILL OPEN IT UP TO NON-REGISTERED RESIDENTS. PLEASE BEGIN WITH YOUR NAME AND BLOCK. ALL SPEAKERS, PLEASE KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE LIGHT. IT WILL TURN GREEN WHEN YOUR TIME BEGINS. IT WILL TURN YELLOW WHEN YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE REMAINING, AND IT WILL TURN RED WHEN YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. Remember to adhere to the time so we can all get a chance to speak. And for all those who are willing and able, please join me for the rise and pledge of allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Mr. Harris, will you please call the roll of members?

Yes, Mr. President. Ms. Gastineau?

Here.

Ms. Holland-Jones?

Here.

Mr. Hirsch? Ms. Mijon?

Here.

Mr. Miller?

Here.

Mr. Salsfus? Here. And President Med?

Here. Mr. Hirsch is excused from this evening's meeting. That will bring us to the approval of the meeting minutes. This meeting was held on June 9th of 2026.

Motion to approve?

Second. We have a motion and a second. Any council comments on the minutes? Hearing none, Mr. Harris.

Ms. Castaneda?

Aye.

Ms. Allen-Jones?

Aye.

Ms. Mijon?

Aye.

Mr. Miller? Aye. Mr. Stolzfus? Aye. And President Emmett?

Aye. That brings us to proclamations, honors, awards, and resolutions of recognition. Do we have any of those this evening, Mr. Harris?

We do, Mr. President. We have Council Resolution Number 55-2026.

Motion to approve. Second.

Council, this resolution recognizes Pride Month in the city of Lancaster. We've had such a fun Pride Month with so many events throughout the city celebrating the diversity of our LGBTQ plus communities and all of their contributions. And we all know that Lancaster is better because of how we welcome everybody no matter who they love or where they came from or how they identify. And Councillor Miller, I believe you were introducing this this evening.

YES, THANK YOU, COUNCIL PRESIDENT. SO INSTEAD OF READING THIS INTO THE RECORD BECAUSE IT IS A LITTLE FORMAL AND BLAND, I WILL BE GIVING SOME CEREMONIAL COPIES OUT TO FOLKS TONIGHT. I JUST WANTED TO SAY SOME BRIEF REMARKS AND THEN I'LL INVITE FOLKS WHO ARE HERE TO SPEAK TO LINE UP BEHIND THE MICROPHONE AND GIVE THEIR REMARKS. BUT I WANTED TO BRIEFLY SAY HOW PROUD I AM OF OUR LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITY IN LANCASTER. I ALSO WANTED TO SAY HOW PROUD I AM OF THE CITY AS A WHOLE FOR BEING AN INCLUSIVE PLACE FOR SO MANY OF US TO LIVE. To my LGBTQ plus neighbors, I'm proud of your resilience over the past several years. Some very powerful and corrupt people have been set on dividing Americans by using our community as a punching bag. And I think the beauty of pride is that we get to rise up and rise above it by welcoming everyone to celebrate freedom. And I can't really think of anything more American than that. So I love pride. I do wanna recognize that while we have been shielded from many things here in Pennsylvania, our trans and queer folks across the country have been targeted with legislation and vitriol. We felt the effects of this locally as well. We've seen people stoke fear and become aggressive in their opposition to LGBTQ plus freedom. And some of our institutions have even backed away from support and services. I think it's important during Pride to recognize what our LGBTQ plus neighbors have done in response to this. And what they have done is simple but powerful. They have lived in community. They have started families. They've fixed up old homes. They've planted trees and started gardens. They've created networks of mutual aid. They've opened businesses. They volunteered at shelters and food pantries. They've made signs and marched on Main Street. They've gone to city council and school board meetings. They've gone to work day after day. They've paid their taxes. They've supported their friends, they shopped at local businesses, they've ridden their bikes, and they've made art and music that has filled this town with vibrance that could only come from people who have never fit inside of a box. I'm proud of this community and the opportunity to recognize Pride Month in Lancaster City. I'm happy to be joined by members of Lancaster Pride, Lancaster County Chooses Love, and other folks who represent our community so well. Before we get to them, I'd like to briefly thank Lancaster City staff and leadership here for celebrating Pride as well. Whether it's going into our Director of Public Works Office, Director Stephen Campbell, to talk about permitting and things like that, and seeing a little Pride flag on his desk, or seeing pictures of Mayor Arroyo in his rainbow jersey at the Pride Festival, you all make us feel very welcomed here, and I can't tell you how much that means. So I'm sitting up here with folks who I know to my core are supportive of the LGBTQ plus community. And I really appreciate that about each and every one of you. So thank you. Happy pride, everyone. And if you're here to speak on the resolution, I invite you to meander over to that microphone in no particular order and let us know your thoughts.

Mr. President, if I can read the title of the resolution to the record.

Yes, Mr. Harris.

A resolution of the Council of the City of Lancaster recognizing June 2026 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual Pride Month in the City of Lancaster and encouraging all people to work to advance the cause of equality and towards achieving a safe community that appreciates its diversity in all its forms for generations to come. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Harris.

Good evening.

Hi, my name is Laura Sabatini. I live on the 500 block of North Mary Street. I am one of the two executive partners at Lancaster County Chooses Love, and we serve people here in the city and all throughout Lancaster County. In fact, we just hosted a karaoke night last weekend at Zotropolis, and we had over 100 people attend, so that was awesome. I want to thank City Council for making this proclamation. Recognition and visibility like this matter for our community. especially right now with rising hate and violence against the LGBTQ plus community and especially the trans community. This is especially important for the trans youth in our community, many of whom who do not have safe and affirming homes and who have now lost all access to gender affirming care. But knowing that there are adults out there who support them and are willing to protect them makes a difference. A proclamation is important, but it is not enough to protect our trans neighbors. I invite everyone here in person and on the live stream, folks on city council and general community members to consider how you can become a better ally to the LGBTQ plus community, or if you're part of our community, how you can get more involved. Lancaster County Chooses Love, for those who don't know, we're an LGBTQ plus support organization. We provide direct services like a food pantry that's open to anyone and a mutual aid fund. We also provide tons of social and support programming like our karaoke event that I just mentioned. We are always looking for volunteers, donation, and for folks to just join us at our community events and build community, allies included. We cannot, we are working towards queer liberation and we cannot win that fight alone. We need our allies to come along and stand beside us. So if you are someone who's been concerned about the LGBTQ plus community, wanting to do something, but not sure what to do, please consider reaching out to our team. We'd love to plug you into some different volunteer and advocacy opportunities. And thank you again to city council.

Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Callie Nordgaard. I'm the Festival Director with Lancaster Pride. I also want to say thank you to Council for inviting us to speak tonight. It is a very big honor, especially for me personally, being part of Lancaster Pride. On Saturday, we just had our festival as well. We had over 7,500 attendees, even from out of state, in state, 225 plus vendors, not including those sponsors. We had over 30 entertainers. And the whole goal of this festival was not a party. It was to show the resources that are out there, not just in Lancaster, not just in the state of PA, but those who came from out of state to celebrate with us and where we have made our achievements in life. For the city alone, thinking about one person making that one difference to show we in Lancaster support all of us. Now take the 15 board members we have that brought in those 7,500 attendees, again, not including the vendors, sponsors, entertainers. We are so easily able to help make the world a better place one person, one event at a time. We are not just a festival as well. We are that resource and I cannot harp enough on the fact that we are resources and we are asking anybody in the community to help share those resources that maybe we don't know. Maybe we can help with a mom or a dad giving a hug one day. Maybe we can help with a business showing that we are fully inclusive. It could be like Zootropolis or it could be a fitness center. We don't know what's out there until we can actually voice that we are these safe spaces. So thank you again for allowing me to speak. And if there are resources that you haven't heard us talk about, please come tell us because the best way we can help you is if you tell us how we can help you. Thank you.

Hello.

Good evening.

Good evening. Shortest girl in the world.

Thank you, Mr. Harris.

Amazing. Thank you. Good evening, counselors, Mayor Arroyo, and our LGBTQIA plus community. My name is Kylie Blue from the 200 block of Lemon Street. I want to thank Counselor Marshall Miller for putting forth this resolution and Mayor Arroyo for signing it tonight. My goal tonight is to show my support, but also possibly to make Marshall cry. Four years ago, I moved back home to Lancaster after college. I was in the closet, scared, confused, and unsure of what the rest of the year would look like, let alone the rest of my life. I grew up in the Catholic Church, and that is where I learned what it means to be part of a community. I learned that even if you share similar values, no two people are the same. I learned that it is in our differences that makes us stronger. I learned that you show up for one another, especially in the hardest times. I'm thankful for these lessons that taught me how to be a good community member, but when I could no longer call the Catholic community home, I felt more unstable and unsure than ever. Then I met Marshall and friends like him who had experienced similar loss. These LGBTQ plus friends and allies gave me so much hope for what the rest of my life could look like. They built their lives with integrity and intention. They were proud of who they were. And even after experiencing the heartache that this community knows all too well. The strength of their community resembled the one I had grown up in, but had room for me in it as well. These people loved me exactly as I was. They told me it was okay that I didn't have all the answers. They told me I could make mistakes. They didn't just accept me, but they celebrated me in my queerness and in my mess. They were and still remain my greatest supporters in this journey. For the past four years, well, in the past four years, I've come out dozens of times to family, Catholic friends, new friends and strangers. The only reason that I had the courage to come out at all was because I knew I had a community here in Lancaster that held me even if my family, friends or church community wouldn't. I'm so fortunate that I maintained many of those relationships, but that's not something that I take for granted. It is in coming out that I learned what it means to be proud of myself. I'm proud to be part of the LGBTQIA plus community here in Lancaster because I know that we can do hard things and we will continue to do hard things until every member of the community is not just accepted but celebrated. Thank you.

Thank you. And I just want to once again thank all of our partners, especially the board of Lancaster Pride. I remember a dear friend of mine, Jeff Rohn, who was a longtime board member, who was a colleague of mine. And I watched him tirelessly work behind the scenes to try to get sponsors and set up the event. So I know how much work goes into putting on such beautiful events like our annual Pride Fest. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AND ARE THERE ANY OTHER COUNCIL COMMENTS ON THE RESOLUTION? YEAH, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS, FURTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE RESOLUTION THIS EVENING? HEARING NONE, MR. HARRIS. MS. GASTON-HILL.

AYE.

MS. ALLEN-JONES.

AYE.

Aye. Mr. Miller? Aye. Mr. Stolzfus?

Aye. And President Ahmed? Aye. And I believe, Mr. Miller, you have some copies of the resolutions. We'll take a quick photo with all those who would like to join us over here on the side of the chamber. Thank you, counselors. That brings us to the next item of our agenda, which will be our public comment. Mr. Harris, do we have any pre-registered public comment this evening?

We do, Mr. President. First, we have Jessica Castro.

Is Ms. Castro here with us this evening? Do we have any other public comments this evening?

And next, we have Arthur Morris.

Good evening, Council, Mayor. This is my fourth or fifth time before Council in the last several weeks regarding my right to know request. Each time I appeared, I explained the purpose of my visit and encouraged Mayor Arroyo and Council members to call me and have a conversation regarding my concerns. For over a month, only two Council members have contacted me. The other five members and Mayor Arroyo have not attempted to engage in conversation. Your silent treatment is evident. Silence should not be a strategy and shows an unwillingness to dialogue and a lack of transparency. I will not go away on these issues. I requested a copy of the bid tabulation you recall related to the 42-inch water main project. The request was denied. Council seems to be under the impression that I was told it was available on pen bid. That is not true. The city told me my request was denied and said nothing about the bid tabulation being available on pen bid or elsewhere. If the city really wanted to provide the opportunity for me to access the bids, they could have approved my request and provided a link directly to the bid tabulation. Your denial is akin to somebody making a right to know asking what the pay is for city council, and it gets denied by the right to know people. What would be more appropriate in those situations is they would refer the person, they would say, approved, look at page 56 of our 256-page 2026 budget, and here's the link to it. You did nothing like that in my regard. I also requested a copy of the engineer's estimate and was informed that no such record exists, which defies logic. Engineers estimates are needed in order to even establish an original budget and then to estimate the amount of the expected bids to be received before they are received. Lastly, Council Member Hurst stated that construction costs came in with significant increases due to oil price spikes from the Iran conflict. I have asked for information to support that opinion. There has been no explanation of substance to support the claim, which is amazing, given the construction cost increase of some $14 million. Once again, Council and the Mayor, And Mayor, I ask you to give me a call. My number is 717-394-2054 should you be willing to have dialogue. Thank you for listening.

Thank you, Mayor Morris. And council did receive the letter that you provided. Are there any other preregistered public comments?

They are not, Council President.

At this time, we will take any public comment from folks who have not pre-registered. Feel free to make your way up to the microphone. Please begin with your name and block of residence.

I'll show you the confirmation.

I'm sorry, I did not get a response from you after I told you that the data center discussion is . It's, this is public comment period too. You're welcome to comment then.

Frank Arcoglio, 200 block of Old Trinity Place. So I need two days to talk about this. You're supposed to have a second reading and potentially approve the new zoning ordinance. So let me give you a little background on what's happened with data centers. In September of 24, there was a meeting with the data center developers who are currently underway. And at least the zoning officer, that meeting was secret. On February 18th, 2025, the zoning officer issued a letter green lighting the data center development by intentionally misclassifying them as warehouses. That decision was also kept secret. There were LNP reports on February 19th, 21st, July 15th of 2025, and finally on July 18th of 2025, LMP REPORTED THAT PUBLIC INPUT WOULD BE LIMITED BECAUSE THE CITY FINALLY ADMITTED THAT THEY HAD ALREADY GREENLIGHTED THE PROJECT MONTHS BEFORE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THERE WAS AN APPEAL, LAWSUIT, TECHNICALITIES, AND THE CITY ADMINISTRATION REFUSED TO ANSWER HOW THE WHOLE THING HAPPENED. The result? Success. The city administration got what it wanted, but it got what it wanted by excluding the community from the process. By the time we found out that the project had been approved, demolition permits had already been issued and work had begun. That's not right. The process was repeated with the community benefits agreement. The Community Benefits Agreement was published two days before it was voted on. There was no community input on the draft before the night it was approved. Another victory for the lack of transparency. Now let's talk about the current situation. There was a draft amendment that was produced in October of 2025 regarding data centered zoning. The Planning Commission recommended a bunch of things, including conditional use. We finally got a draft of the amendment. It omitted many of the county's recommendations, and it also ignored the Planning Commission's recommendation for conditional use. So it's going up for the second reading tomorrow. It's not nearly identical, by the way, which it's supposed to be from the October 25th version. It got rid of an entire zone that data centers could be in. That's not right. So it looks like more of the same. We're going to give a wink and a nod to avoid a second reading, or to get to a second reading instead of redoing it. The same people that brought us the secretly approved data centers and no input to the CBA are running the show. Messrs. Delfts, Handwerker, and Thrash are doing the same thing. Yes, this is a new administration, but it looks very much like the old administration, and it wants to steamroll us yet again. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Arcoglio. Do we have any more public comment this evening? Yes. Good evening.

Natalie, 500 Block of Plum. First, I'd actually really like to thank my other hate-challenged community member. Appreciate it. Yes. Good evening, mayor and council members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Natalie and I'm employed at Tenfold as an outreach worker. The nature of my job gives me the opportunity to meet those in our community who are putting in commendable work to rebuild their lives, but cannot find a place they can afford to live. One of the biggest hurdles I face in my day-to-day work is the lack of single room rental opportunities. For those living paycheck to paycheck, leaving shelters, or dealing with fixed incomes, renting an entire apartment is out of reach. As of today, the cheapest one-bedroom apartment that I know of, and it is my job to know, is $1,200 a month. Add to this that most landlords require at least two and a half times that as provable income and a credit score above 650. Well, it's pretty clear that it's an impossible situation. A room is the only realistic attainable first step toward stability. Current zoning rules make it difficult to create or maintain these accessible housing options. Rooms provide an affordable entry point. They allow people to establish rental history, increase their work availability, and regain stability. If we are serious about addressing housing insecurity in Lancaster, we must create pathways for safe, regulated, affordable rooming houses to exist. Thoughtful zoning changes and clear regulations can protect neighborhoods while also creating desperately needed housing opportunities for our most vulnerable community members. I ask council to consider how current zoning policies may unintentionally limit affordable housing options and to explore reforms that make single room rental opportunities part of the solution. Thank you for your time and your commitment to our community.

Thank you. Good evening.

Can you hear me okay? Hello. My name is Perry Hazeltine. I know a lot of you. I particularly welcome to our two newest council folks. Thanks for what you do. I am a 20-year resident. In fact, I was just thinking about it. So the end of this month will be 20 years since I moved into the city. It happened when my, My daughter in Manheim Township, eighth grade, decided that she was sick of all the girl drama that she was in and wanted to go to St. Ann's, and so everybody was happy about the idea, and we moved in. We have all been very happy residents of the city. I was not able to make last month's meeting, but I watched it the next day on your recording and just was very happy to see all that you do around affordable housing. It was such a great presentation to see. I was able to read ahead of time the report that you The city had requested for affordable housing and then the goals and see all that we had met, particularly in the affordable housing part. I was also extremely impressed with the whole almost like detective work to improve the permitting process and finding out where the snags are. So anyone involved in that is welcome to help me come and organize my house because it's quite a problem to solve. So, you know, at the beginning, you know, with some new folks on the council, with a new mayor, what I have seen so far in openness about issues of homelessness and housing is very impressive. I find myself very hopeful. I think it was Mayor Arroyo who said last month, looking at what we're doing with affordable housing, that there are significant ways in which we are a model in our region and particularly to city our size. and um what i would like to make the case is that we have the same capacity and the same ingenuity available to do it for folks who are currently homeless you know and the case that i'm making is it's been made before but the reality of the increase in homeless we saw 22 increase in the county last year um when in In its first year in September of 2025, the Clay Street Shelter, a beautiful and successful project, was shockingly full by that time. I just saw their statistics for 2025, and with an 80-bed unit that they will extend in extremes of heat, but particularly extremes of cold.

Thank you, Mr. Hazleton. You have reached your time.

Oh, sorry.

Goodbye.

I didn't know it was time, so I'll come back later.

Thank you. Good evening.

Good evening. I'm Taylor Raymond, 500 block of St. Joseph Street. I am here to talk about the zoning amendment. I know that the hearing is tomorrow. But I wanted to mention that I don't think that the ordinance is strong enough. I think bare minimum it needs to be conditional use. And I think that you need more time to go back through and really make sure that this is strong enough. I think that it would be a good idea for you all to essentially put a moratorium or put in place a curative amendment To allow you enough time to put in the heavy regulations that our community frankly deserves So I really hope that you will consider that over the next day Thank you are there any further public comment this evening Hearing none we will close the public comment period I

That brings us to reports requested by Council. I believe we have one this evening, Mr. Harris?

We do. Mr. President, we have a report regarding a public hearing for an application for the transfer of a liquor license to West Art, 816 Buchanan Avenue.

Thank you, Mr. Harris. And we do have folks in the room for the hearing this evening. So I will call the hearing to order. And first, I will ask the applicant's counsel to come up and introduce themselves. Right here. Please press the button on the microphone. It'll turn green. There you go.

Good evening, Council Mayor. I'm Aaron Ziemer. I'm an attorney with RKG Law on behalf of West Art.

Thank you and I will ask to have all your witnesses or anyone that is going to testify before Council be affirmed or sworn in by the court reporter.

I do. Rufus speaking. Joshua Gibble.

At this time, I'll introduce into the record the following documents. The application for intermissible transfer of West Art LLC, proof of publication from Lancaster newspaper of the public hearing, report and recommendation of the Mayor of the City of Lancaster, and report and recommendation of the Chief of Police. Council, will you please confirm that the property was posted with a notice within this hearing?

Yeah, it was.

And can you please have the applicants make their presentation to Lancaster City Council?

Yep, thank you. So, Council, just for some brief background, and I imagine these hearings or types of hearings are a little bit more common in Lancaster City than they are a number of other municipalities, but I found that there is oftentimes some benefit of sharing a little bit of background in the licensing space just for everyone's benefit, but Currently in Lancaster City, there are 55 restaurant liquor licenses that are either actively being used or what we would call in safekeeping. At the time that West Art was looking to obtain an agreement in order to acquire a new restaurant license, uh seven of those uh 55 were actually in safekeeping safekeeping usually being an indication that the license is either not actively being used or possibly for sale however at the time none of those seven were actually available for sale they were either not listed which was the case for a few of them or they were already actively being transferred and under agreement i I know that for some, because I represented the buyer and the seller. So for that reason, we are seeking to move a license from Reemstown in East Gicalico Township into the city of Lancaster. The other thing I would like to share and would point out is that part of the reason that these inter-municipal transfers, I believe, are becoming a bit more common in most municipalities is because about eight or so years ago, The liquor code was changed or the PLCB took a different position to allow grocery stores, convenience stores and establishments like that to acquire and sell various forms of alcohol. Though they use the exact same license Wegmans, Sheetz, Wise, Giant, you name it, use the exact same license that these folks here tonight are looking to to to also use the restaurant liquor licenses, even though they're not really restaurants in the typical sense, or at least what you and I would likely consider to be a restaurant. Given that reality, it's made the competition for restaurant licenses a lot more significant. It's increased the value of some and has made it cost prohibitive for many restaurateurs to even obtain a license. But it's also created this reality is that most times the licenses that applicants are seeking have to come from outside the municipality. Again, there's certainly more licenses in Lancaster City than many other municipalities, but Thankfully, for the city's benefit, most of them are actively being used. There are not a lot that are simply sitting in safekeeping or otherwise available for sale. So just wanted to provide a little bit of that background, and I'll jump into a little bit of the testimony and the information that Josh and Rufus, you guys can provide, and you guys can arm wrestle whoever wants to answer these questions. There's really no... So, you guys have introduced yourself, and I'll just confirm for the record, you guys are the owners of West Art, is that fair? Okay. And what, each of you, what is your current role at West Art?

I tend to run most of the bar operations and coffee shop stuff, and then we, and Josh does all of the booking. Oh, I'm sorry. And then we combine on most other things, I would say. Okay.

I am hoping that most of the folks sitting at that dais have been to West Art at one time or another and are familiar with the property. But could you guys just briefly describe what it is you do and how you do it?

Yeah, sure. So as most of you know, we were neighbors next to a church on the west end of Lancaster. And the church came up for sale and a lot of different ideas and conversations happened. And so it's morphed in a really fun and in some unexpected ways. into a lovely little community spot. So it's a coffee shop, a bar, a venue for concerts and yoga classes and voting and all kinds of things. So yeah, our purpose here is to transfer from one type of liquor license into another that will serve what we're doing a little bit more accurately, so.

So great segue. You guys currently hold a brewery liquor license, is that correct? Correct.

Okay.

Approximately how long ago did you acquire that license?

A year ago. Last May, yeah.

Okay. Can you just share with council why the change now from a brewery license to the restaurant license?

There's a couple of reasons behind it. We are actively adding a restaurant to the business. So we're developing the basement space. Sorry, too quiet. We are adding a restaurant to West Arts. And so we are developing the basement space into a full-blown restaurant. Also, the brewery license is very restrictive in terms of how you have to comply with the sales that you're selling. So in our case, we are tied to another brewery. We have to sell 51% of their product in order to comply with that license, which makes it Every month it's just very complicated. And we just want the freedom to be able to sell any type of alcohol rather than just restricted to Pennsylvania alcohol.

Um, so you, you mentioned the addition of the restaurant space can again, just briefly describe what it is you're planning, um, with regard to those renovations and that additional space.

Yeah. So we have a large space, uh, approximately the same size as city hall above, um, that we are going to be adding a restaurant into one side of it. Um, and then a couple of pool tables and some sort of lounge bar seating down there where you'll be able to eat dinner, um, and also enjoy a game of pool and a drink.

I think we should clarify that we named our big room City Hall. So it's approximately the size of the main sanctuary at Westard. It's not the size of this building. Fun to say that. Next.

And can you, again, just sort of briefly describe currently anyway how the alcohol component, the sale and service of alcohol at West Art sort of complements some of the things that you guys describe that you do and why you want to continue with that?

Sure. I mean, we have a lot of music shows and private events, weddings, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, et cetera. People tend to want to have a drink at a lot of those events we supply them.

Notwithstanding some of the challenges that you mentioned with the brewery license and the limitations that come with it, overall you've been successful I'll say or pose it that way with the service and sale of alcohol during the last year? Yes, I would say so. With regard to the restaurant space in particular, do you anticipate that it will increase or change the food offerings and menu that you guys currently have? Yeah, absolutely.

Could you just briefly explain? So we'll be able to serve proper meals. Currently, we're just serving pastries and sandwiches, and we'll be able to serve hot meals from morning till night.

Have you planned out that menu yet? I have, yeah. Can you indulge us a little bit with some samples?

I mean, it's going to be a very short menu with just four or five very good things on it and then four or five very good bar snacks. We are thinking sort of top of the Mediterranean if you want to get specific, so sort of Lebanese, Greek, Turkish, et cetera.

Great. Do you anticipate hiring additional employees by adding the restaurant? Yeah, sure. Do you have an expectation of how many?

I think there will be at least another five or six employees.

OK. Are you familiar with the PLCB's RAMP, Responsible Alcohol Management Training Program? I am very, yeah. Are you, the two of you RAMP certified? Yeah. Is your current service staff RAMP certified? We require everybody to get RAMP certified. Great. And that would be true of the future employees for the restaurant as well?

Not necessarily the chefs, but yeah. Certainly.

I believe you said not necessarily the chefs.

Not necessarily the chefs, but the bar staff.

Do you envision any change to your days or hours of operation as a result of adding the restaurant license? No. So they'll stay the same as what they currently are? What are they, just so we have it on the record?

They're 7 to 10 through the week, and then 7 to 11 on Friday and Saturday night.

Great. OK. And you understand that if city councils vote to approve the inter-renewable transfer tonight, you're still required to go through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board license transfer application process? Yes, absolutely. OK. That's all the questions I have at the moment.

Thank you. Now I will ask council members if you have any questions of the applicant or the applicant's witnesses. Any public comment on the application? Hearing none, I will close testimony and close the hearing. This item will appear on our legislative agenda later on. Thank you. Thank you both.

Thank you all.

That brings us into our legislative agenda. First item is our Heritage Conservation District.

Mr. Harris. Yes, Mr. President. Considering the following application and recommendation from the Historical Commission for improvements to a property in the Heritage Conservation District, we have one this evening. Housing Development Corporation, HTC Mid-Atlantic, owners of 210 College Avenue propose redevelopment of a three-story former hospital structure to create new residential units. And this application was recommended for approval by the Historical Commission.

Motion to approve. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Any council comments on the item from the public? Hearing none, Mr. Harris.

Ms. Gastineau.

Approved. I'm sorry. Aye.

Ms. Holland-Jones.

Aye.

Ms. Mijon.

Aye.

Mr. Miller. Aye. Mr. Salasvez. Aye.

And President Metz. Aye. That brings us to ordinances for final passage. We'll start with Administrative Bill 9. Mr. Harris.

an ordinance authorizing the occurrence of non-electoral debt of the city of Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, by the issuance of a $15 million principal amount general obligation note, series of 2026, the note. The note is being issued for the purpose of providing funds for paying costs and expenses of the design and construction of improvements to the city's water system and related costs and expenses including the fees and costs of issuing the note. Motion to approve.

Second. Sorry, I'm only halfway through there. Oh, my apologies, Mr. Harris. This is a long one. I'm sorry.

And construction costs and expenses including the fees and costs of issuing the note and construction period interest on the note, determining to sell the note at a private sale by invitation, approving the form of the note, fixing the date, interest, and maturity of the note, making for a covenant for the payment of the debt service on the note, pledging the full faith, credit, and taxing power of this city in support of the note, providing for the filing of required documents, providing for the appointment of a sinking fund depository for the note, and authorizing execution, sale, and delivery thereof, and other necessary action. Motion to approve. Second.

Council, we have a motion and a second. But first, I do have a motion to amend. Bond Council has provided each of us with an updated version of the ordinance authorizing and directing the issuance of the general obligation note series 2026 in an original maximum principal amount of $15 million. Such ordinance was introduced as administrative bill number 9-2026 before this council on June 9th, 2026. I HEREBY MOVE TO AMEND THE ORDINANCE LABELED ADMINISTRATION BILL NUMBER 9-2026 TO INCLUDE THE ADDITIONS, DELETIONS, AND OTHER CHANGES REFERENCED ON SUCH UPDATED VERSION OF THE ORDINANCE, WHICH WILL BE REWORDED WITH THE MINUTES OF THIS MEETING AND WHICH COULD BE SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS, INSERTING INTO THE FIFTH WHEREAS CLAUSE THE NAME FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF PENNSYLVANIA AS THE NOTE PURCHASER. In section 9 of the ordinance, adding that the rate of interest on the series of the 2026 note will be 4.09% per annum in the 3rd paragraph of section 9 of the ordinance, inserting 1st National Bank of Pennsylvania as the name of the paying agent. ON EXHIBIT A, ATTACHING THE FORM OF THE SERIES 2026 NOTE. ON EXHIBIT B, ATTACHING THE NOTE PURCHASE PROPOSAL. AND ON EXHIBIT C, ATTACHING THE NOT TO EXCEED DEBT SERVICE SCHEDULE.

SECOND.

We have a motion and a second to amend. Mr. Harris, just to keep us in order, we would first have discussion on the bill and then we're on the motion to amend. Motion to amend is on the table. Thank you, Councillors. As you know, we've been discussing this for several weeks. This is our second reading. We've also talked about this in committees and prior committee meetings. We do have Mr. Peck here to answer any further questions on the motion. Are there any council questions on the motion? From the public?

Hearing none, Mr. Harris. Ms. Gastineau.

Aye.

Ms. Allen-Jones?

Aye.

Ms. Majan?

Aye.

Mr. Miller? Aye. Mr. Stosswitz?

Aye. And President Metz? Aye. And that brings us back to the motion, I'm sorry, the resolution as amended. And we do have Director Campbell and Mr. Peck here. Good evening.

Good evening. Should I get me to review this?

Yes, please. Okay.

Well, good evening, members of Council and Mayor. I'm Daryl Peck with Concord Public Finance again. The presentation I'm going to give is substantially the same as was presented at Finance Committee on June the 1st. I'm going to give you the final details of the actual no proposal, which is obviously very critical to your decision. So I'll hit the highlights of my presentation again. Again, very consistent with what was given on June the 1st. You're moving forward with the Susquehanna Large Diameter Transmission Main Project. There was an initial interim financing done late last year, back in December. And you had originally gotten an initial funding offer from Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority. That's going to provide the permanent financing for the project. That's certainly at a very favorable interest rate. And that'll be talked about subsequently at another meeting, another process. But that's the background and the takeout, if you will, or the permanent financing of this. Based upon actual project bids, the current cost of the project is estimated to be about $67.1 million. The city does have grant funds of $3.2 million available for the project that will be applied to the project. And the city and its engineer have submitted a supplemental funding request to Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, or PENVEST. that is going to be considered by Penvest on July 15th. So with the month or two or extra couple of months of delay of being able to move forward the project and awarding the contracts, the city needs to do this additional $15 million of interim financing to keep the project moving. It's critical that this project moves forward to get it done in a timely manner. Both of the interim financings, the one done late last year and this year, will be rolled over or paid off with the permanent financing. And both of those loans are, this loan is a drawdown loan, sort of like a line of credit. So you'll use as much of it as you need, obviously pay interest of what you need. At such time as you close on Penvest, you'll pay this off and just proceed on with Penvest. The second page is the timing. Again, this is all consistent with what was talked about. The history is above the yellow line. Here tonight you're going to consider the second reading of the ordinance and accept the loan proposal. The project should move forward later this month and early next month. On July 15th, we hope and expect to get the supplemental funding from Penvest. And again, because of the delays, I note here, we'll probably close on Penvest in September, but it takes three, four months to get that first reimbursement back. So it's currently projected that by November, you're going to run out of or spend the first $32 million, which is why, again, it's critical that you do this supplemental $15 million. so that when we get your reimbursement out in early next year, again, these can be paid off with that. On the top page three, here's the new information from what was given at the Finance Committee meeting on June 1st. We solicited financing proposals for the $15 million interim financing from about 25 banks. We received eight proposals from six different banks. That bodes well for the city. That means, you know, certainly not every bank is going to propose, but it certainly shows a You know, good fiscal responsibility of the city that you got that many proposals. The most favorable proposal is from First National Bank of Pennsylvania with a fixed interest rate of 4.09%. And again, as I mentioned, these are drawdown loans, so you'll pay interest on what you actually need during the next several months. And this interim financing will mature on September 30th, 2028, another year after the project is expected to be completed. So that's just your contingency time that if you continue to need this interim financing for the project for the construction phase, this will be available to you and should certainly live the life of the completion of the project. The graph at the back again is, I'm sorry, page four is just the summary of the actual $15 million financing. The box in the middle shows the, I have to show this to you, it's the not to exceed interest amount that if you drew the whole $15 million at closing at the 4.09% and you didn't pay it off until the maturity date, you see what the interest would be. So really the key box for you is the next box, the estimated interest expense that you are expected to incur to get to the Penvest closing is about $250,000. Again, you're either going to pay interest on this or you're going to pay interest on the Penvest loan. So don't always think of it as an extra cost. You're either going to draw on the Penvest loan today or you're going to draw on the interim financing. So is the rate higher? Yes. So there's some incremental, but it's not an additional cost on top of the Penvest loan. And lastly, the graph on page five is really just looking forward to the completion of the project and the anticipated permanent financing with Penvest. The existing water debt service is shown there in the red bars, and the expected or projected water fund debt service after the Penvest financing is shown the blue bars. So again, just forward-looking that's really not for your consideration this evening. So with that I will entertain any questions and then the ordinance itself will formally accept the First National Bank of Pennsylvania proposal as I described.

Thank you, Mr. Peck, and thank you, Director Campbell. Council, I would just like to reiterate Mr. Peck's statements. The second reading of this ordinance accepts the loan proposal. It is imperative that we stay on schedule as this is a very important project for the city and the future of our water infrastructure. And with that, do we have any council comments? From the public.

Good evening, Mayor Morse. Good evening. Arthur Morris, 434 West Chester Street. The fourth whereas says... Whereas the council, having received realistic cost estimates through actual bids, option agreements, or professional estimates from registered architects, professional engineers, or other persons qualified to make such estimates, has determined that the cost of the project has such costs to define, blah, blah. So it's really saying you've received them and you have determined. So do you have copies of all those things? Have you received them? Because I checked earlier this week about copies of those items, and it was not available in regard to this presentation. So I'm simply saying I don't want to slow the process down. I'm simply saying you are attesting that you've received this and have determined all these items. So I'm simply asking, have you received copies of those cost estimates and everything else?

If I may, President Ahmed. My name is Rhonda Lord. I'm with Saxton and Stump, your bond counsel on this transaction. First, let me set forth the reason that paragraph is in the resolution. It's a requirement of the Debt Act that council is not borrowing more than the project is. As we've discussed at many of the meetings, you have professional estimates from your engineers that have given you information that the project is going to exceed the original estimated price of about $45 million. In fact, Mr. Peck has in his presentation tonight that the estimate from the architect is about $69 million. So that information has been provided to you. You're not required to actually have bids in hand. They just want to know that you're not borrowing more than the estimated cost of the project. So that's why that language is in the ordinance.

Thank you, and we did have that information in the packets, and I want to thank Mr. Pack and his team for providing it.

So if I may, so you will provide me, I can get a copy of the packet you received that shows that you received all of these items? Is that what Ms. Lord is saying? Because you're attesting to that. I'm simply telling you that you're attesting to having received them, and consequently... has determined. That's all I'm trying to find out.

It's not saying that they've received all of the items. It's just saying that they've received some information that gives them professional estimates that allows them to determine they're not issuing enough.

I understand what you're saying. I've not gotten any estimates when I've asked for them. And now they've received this information, apparently. I will determine myself whether they received what they're saying, their approval.

We're not saying it was received on a paper. It was in public meetings where they received the information.

Well, that will be on tape. I just would like to know from council, at what point did you here receive or view that information prior to this meeting? Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Morris.

Any further public comment? Hearing none, Mr. Harris.

Ms. Castaneda.

Aye.

Ms. Allen-Jones.

Aye.

Ms. Mijon.

Aye.

Mr. Miller. Aye. Mr. Salasvuz. Aye. And President Mudd.

Aye. Thank you, Mr. Peck. Thank you, Director Campbell. Thank you, ma'am. That brings us to resolutions. We first have Administrative Resolution No. 62-2026. Mr. Harris.

a resolution of the Council of the City of Lancaster to make declaration of official intent to reimburse the sewer general funds or other available funds used for advanced wastewater treatment plant projects, south train screenings improvements, and chlorination facilities improvements with funds received from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, Penvest. Motion to approve.

Second.

We have a motion and a second. Dr. Campbell, if you would please provide a little bit more information for council and the public.

Certainly. This is more or less a pro forma that is required that indicates that we as the city will actually reimburse the funds that are necessary for the south train screening improvements in chlorinator facilities, which includes scrubbers and filters and a few other things in a series of projects not to exceed the $3.8 million indicated in this document. It's committing that as per the requirement and the agreement of receiving those funds, we are committed to replace them.

Thank you, Director Campbell. Do we have any comments from council? From the public?

Hearing none, Mr. Harris. Ms. Gastineau?

Aye.

Ms. Allen-Jones?

Aye.

Ms. Mijon?

Aye.

Mr. Miller? Aye. Mr. Stossfus? Aye. And President Med? Aye. aye thank you very much thank you director campbell that brings us to our final resolution this evening um resolution number 63 2026 mr errors a resolution of the city council of the city of lancaster lancaster county pennsylvania approving the transfer of restaurant liquor license number r18779 into the city of lancaster pennsylvania motion to approve second

Councilors, we did have a public hearing. This is regarding the West Art Liquor License Transfer. We want to thank the council. We want to thank the applicants of West Art. I have frequented West Art for numerous activities and have always been impressed at how they have been community partners, whether it's voting or chess clubs or thrift markets. They have something for everybody and we want to thank them for being a part of our community. Any council comments on the resolution?

Council President?

Yes, Councillor Miller.

Yeah, I just want to reiterate that West Start is one of the best spots in town to build community and spend time with people. So I'm super excited to see the owners in here advocating for expanding the space, making new jobs. I will continue to frequent it and I'm excited to see them moving things forward.

Any other Council comments? Any comments from the public? Hearing none, Mr. Harris. Ms. Gastineau?

Aye.

Ms. Allen-Jones?

Aye.

Ms. Majon? Aye. Mr. Miller? Aye. Mr. Stosswitz? Aye. And President Mudd?

Aye. That concludes our legislative agenda this evening, and that'll bring us to the report of the mayor, Mr. Arroyo.

Thank you, Council President. Just a few brief comments. I know we went through the Water Main financing pretty quickly, but just kind of want to reiterate how important and monumental that investment is for the City of Lancaster. You know, first and foremost, thank you to Director Steve Campbell and his team for having the foresight. We've discussed this for many years now, the necessity of the investment in this type of infrastructure. It really didn't dawn on me until I was in Puerto Rico for a couple days last week. And there is a water main that goes from the south side of the island to the north side of the island. THAT WAS DONE I BELIEVE ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO AND BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF INVESTMENT IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT MONTERE MAINE HAS MANY LEAKS AND BUS THROUGHOUT THE WATER PIPE LEAVING OVER 100,000 RESIDENTS OF PUERTO RICO WITHOUT WATER FOR OVER 40 DAYS. um so it's just a reminder coming back of you know i think sometimes we move past these investments and they don't always seem as uh as fun as maybe as some of the other things and i know we could get sticker shock from uh from the investment that it's going to require but these are the type of investments that future generations will look back and ask what have we done to make the quality of life of our residents better so thank you to our public works team for having that vision and making sure that we are taking steps forward to do so and also a comment around you know transparency i think that word has been thrown out quite a bit when it comes to bids when it comes to any projects that are happening within the city of lancaster All of this information is publicly available on PenBid. And while I am always happy to hear about how accessible some of this information may be, I do believe our city government is transparent by providing this information. Mayor Morris, I know some of the conversations you've had with our team, links have been provided, conversations leading to where we can find this information has been provided. Again, always open to taking feedback around accessibility and how to make things more accessible. But I do want to reiterate to council and the public that I do believe our process is transparent to make sure that we are being the best stewards of our taxpaying dollars as possible. Thank you, Council President. That concludes my report.

My name was used by the Mayor. I would like to make a comment.

Mr. Morris, if you would like to make your comments at our next public meeting, our public comment period is adjourned. Thank you. That brings us to the report of President of Council. I would like to remind Council and the public that we will be having a flag raising tomorrow at City Hall at 12 p.m. to celebrate World Refugee Day and Immigrant Heritage Month. I would also like to remind members of the public and Council that we do have a special meeting tomorrow to go over the data center, zoning amendment, public hearing, and we will have the ordinance for final passage as well. And with that, I will open it up to any council comments. Hearing none, I will hear a motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn.

Second. All in favor? Aye.